Prominent Indonesian Muslims striding the world stage, winning prizes, and on important lists.

"The 500 Most Influential Muslims - 2009", a joint effort of the Saudi funded Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, USA, and the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Amman, Jordan, edited by Professor John Esposito and Professor Ibrahim Kalin, has three Indonesians in the top 50.

Just behind the Secretary General of Hezbollah in Lebanon, Seyyed Hasan Nasrallah, comes Indonesia's first representative, striding his stage like a colossus at 18th - Dr KH Achmad Hasyim Muzadi, Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).

Hasyim was said to be "head of an expansive network", the 30 million member strong NU, and a "social servant", while the NU was praised for being a "model of traditionalism".

At 35th came Professor Dr M Din Syamsuddin, Chairman of Persyarikatan Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second largest Muslim organisation after NU, which was said to be focused on "social welfare", while Din himself was a "leader of conservative shift" and a "reformist".

Coming on strong at 48th was Abdullah 'Aa Gym' Gymnastiar, titled "Indonesian Preacher" and described as "Indonesia's televangelist" and a "reformer", but not 'polygamist' or 'businessman', said to have a

regular audience of over 80 million Indonesians, and an approval rating of close to 90%.

Other Indonesians on the list who didn't make the top 50, alphabetically and with their listing category in brackets:

Prof. Dr Tuti Alawiyaah (Women)

Syafi’i Anwar (Development)

Azyumardi Azra (Scholarly)

Haidar Bagir (Media)

Syafii Maarif (Scholarly)

Siti Musdah Mulia (Women)

Lily Zakiyah Munir (Women)

Helvy Tiana Rosa (Arts & Culture)

Hajjah Maria Ulfah (Women)

Dr Nasaruddin Umar (Administrative)

H.E. Abdurrahman (Gus Dur) Wahid (Political)

H.E. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (Political)

In a separate section marked off from the main list under the heading "Radicals", which included Osama Bin Laden among its 12 honorees, came elderly firebrand preacher and former jailbird Abu Bakar Bashir.

And the top ten worldwide:

His Majesty King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, King of Saudi
Arabia, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques

"The 500 Most Influential Muslims - 2009" also gave population figures for Muslims in the countries of the world, interestingly stating that the Muslim proportion of Indonesia's population was 80%, or 188,176,626 people, off by 6.1 points from the 2000 census figure, and 8 points from the commonly quoted 88% figure. rissc.jo (pdf)

In another, separate, honour Siti Musdah Mulia was also named international "Woman of the Year", or "Il Premio Internazionale La Donna Dell Anno" at a ceremony at Saint Vincent, Aosta, Italy, on November 28th.

Siti Musdah Mulia won the coveted prize for her work in opposing discrimination against women, like polygamy. Siti bested co-finalists Mary Akrami from Afghanistan, Dunia Baroud El Khoury from Lebanon, Aicha Ech-Channa from Morocco, and Guo Jianmei from China, and won a 50 million Euro prize. aostaoggi.it

I cannot help but think what SBY could have achieved with his huge popular support from the people. If ever any President anyway had a mandate from the common man/woman for reform and change it was he. There was (is?) the very real opportunity for SBY to go down in History as one of the great world leaders who made a difference but….

Sadly, it would appear that he is not up to the almighty challenge involved. I mean that in a non-critical way. There is no doubt championing those reforms would involve considerable personal risk in confronting entrenched and dangerous vested interests. Not a job I would envy or desire.

I do think though, that history will show this period as an opportunity missed at a critical juncture for Indonesia’s future as a nation and History tends to judge harshly.

@ Oigal: SBY got this huge popular support because he’s compromising with (almost) everyone. I believe that is why he can’t be a leader who makes a difference, as he tries to make every people (party) happy, and there are too many people with different interests.

===

Before he got elected for the first time, I actually sympathized this guy (SBY), as I heard one of his quotation, saying “To make a democratic country runs smoothly, there has to be one single, major power” or something like that. Maybe, almost like a dictatorship, although I guess the word is too harsh, but that was the idea.

Most influential Muslim leaders..mmmm…let me think? Osama Bin Laden internationally and in that little backward tinpot nation to my north….Abu Bakar Bashir… Well they have put Islam on the world map in a way it never has been before.

You should take your complaints to Professor John Esposito of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, USA, since it was him/them who made the list. You may well uncover a nest of anti-Achmad conspirators there…..give em hell.

I don’t know, Mas Achmad, but I really hope that the next most influential muslim leader is not someone who use the picture of a cannibal as his gravatar…. We’re fed up with Islam being associated with violence, you see…. 😉